Our Team

Shaun Gill – Program Director, for Compass Project and the Maine FabLab

Shaun joined Engine in 2018 and brings a blended background in science, technology, industry and education centered bridging others with applied success. His roles at Engine will include leading the development and implementation of youth and community maker through the Compass Project and the Maine FabLab and expanding its STEAM portfolio. When away from Engine, you will find Shaun with his wife, Nicole, exploring Maine’s incredible trails and waterways, or spending time in his home machine shop. Shaun can be reached by email at shaun@feedtheengine.org, and invites you to learn more about himhere.

Bruce Davis – Lead Instructor and Shop Manager

Bruce first joined Compass Project in 2011 as a social work student intern and was especially pleased to rejoin Compass in August 2017 in a capacity to help grow and shape its future.

Bruce is a natural champion of the Compass tradition of using boatbuilding as a mechanism to provide positive direction and build strong relationships with youth. As a licensed social worker who maintains a private counseling practice in Saco, these value tie in closely with Bruce’s other community engagement.

Bruce holds a degree in Architecture from RSDI, and loves the design component of making things. Given his life-long passion for making and building things, with boats being among them, helping Compass students envision, design, and figure how to make their creations together makes it extra special.

Bruce’s favorite boats are canoes, and when not working, he loves paddling rivers and lakes from Northern Maine to the wilds of Labrador, with his faithful companion dog, Lucy. Bruce loves time with his family, especially adventures with his three grandchildren. And if you ever have a question about glue, Bruce is the guy to ask!

Devon Kelley-Yurdin – Education and Outreach Director, Engine

Tammy Ackerman – Executive Director, Engine

A native of South Dakota, Tammy Ackerman chose to move to Maine, in 2006 after a ten-year stint in Nevada. She is the director and co-founder of Engine, a community arts organization located in Biddeford, Maine. With a pioneering spirit, Ackerman is leading the revitalization of the former mill town in which she lives, focusing on creative economy and placemaking. She spearheaded the creation of Maine FabLab, a digital fabrication facility with an educational emphasis, and believes that digital fabrication is a big part of the next industrial revolution. Ackerman is focused on helping her town shift its paradigm from a Company Town to a town of companies by fostering the arts, makers young and old, and creative entrepreneurialism.

Stephanie C. Edwards, MTS, MSW has volunteered at Engine since 2016. She works directly with Compass as the Field Education Supervisor for the social work internship program. She is inspired most by helping these young professionals hone their skills in a creative, inspiring environment where they are asked to find connections between theory and direct practice. On top of her work as a grant writer/social worker, Stephanie is finishing her PhD in Theological Ethics at Boston College. You can also find her behind the bar at Elements, on a variety of Biddeford city committees, or on an outdoor adventure with her husband and their rescue dog, EmmyLou!

Aiden Campbell – Social Work Intern – University of Southern Maine

Aiden studied Social Work at the University of Southern Maine and was Engine’s Bachelors of Social Work intern during the 2017-2018 school year. Aiden spent a lot of time working at both Engine and the Compass Project supporting students and helping with various programs. He dedicated a lot of his time to creating a guide and training on how to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students in the York county school system. Aiden will be continuing his education by going on to the Masters of Social Work Program at The University of Southern Maine.

Victoria Gordon – Volunteer and Grant Writer

Fred Fowler – Volunteer

Peter Anthony – Volunteer

Peter retired in Maine after living in Chicago and Minneapolis where he worked for large companies in the medical device industry. His previous experience in boat building includes a 13 foot rowing skiff based on a design from well known boat designer Phil Bolger. Recent wood working projects include 5 craftsman style rocking chairs built together with his brother and an adjustable Adirondack chair of his own design. He also volunteers at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Kennebunk and Laudholm Reserve in Wells. Compass project has quickly become one of his favorites.

Bill Coogan – Volunteer

Bill Coogan is a former professor and lawyer. Years ago he happened to look in a doorway and saw Compass Project in operation. He thought, “That’s what I’d like to do when I have the time.” In 2008 he began volunteering at Compass Project. Over the years he has been fortunate to work with a great crew of teachers and students at Compass. He has learned a good deal about boatbuilding and has forgotten most of it. When he is away from Compass during the summertime, he sails between Portland and New York City with a crew of pirates.